City set to sleigh Rovers on derby day

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell has shared his thoughts ahead of the Boxing Day local derby against Bristol Rovers.

Following the departure of Matt Taylor, Rovers are under interim management, which presents challenges for preparation.

“There’s potential managers coming in, so we have to be pretty flexible in that regard,” Caldwell said. “But if that does change, then we’re ready to adapt. We know they’ll be a physical team, they’ll be up for it – it’s a local derby – but as always, we have to focus on ourselves.”

City will be without captain Pierce Sweeney, who has been sidelined for 8-10 weeks due to injury, an uncommon setback in his long career with the club. “Sweens is going to be out for a long period of time, which, for him at this club, I don’t think has ever happened before,” Caldwell reflected. “That shows the level we’re at, the games we’ve had, it’s put a toll on even our stalwart player who’s always there. We’ll miss him, but he’ll work hard and come back even better.”

Providing further injury updates, Caldwell explained the situation with Tristan Abrahams, who was substituted during Saturday’s match against Burton Albion. “Tristan we’re still assessing. It’s not as bad as it could’ve been. He missed training on Friday, and he didn’t feel any worse when he came off in the game. He just didn’t feel comfortable, which is 100 percent the right thing to do. Hopefully, it’s a minor muscle injury, and we can get him back quickly.”

Bristol Rovers head into the Boxing Day clash riding high on confidence after their impressive victory against promotion contenders Wrexham.

However, Caldwell noted the significance of City’s recent performance: “A big thing on Saturday, it showed us going back to being ourselves, our identity.”

As the Grecians gear up for the Boxing Day derby, it’s safe to say the Christmas spirit will be in full force at a soon-to-be sold-out St James Park.

Let’s hope City can deliver the perfect gift and take all three points home!